“Some of the claims they are looking at are the biggest faults with the program and some of the most glaring ones,” he said. “It’s a very positive step forward. If they do it expeditiously and correctly it will lead to better oversight of some of the pretty egregious practices that are occurring in West Virginia.

In October, over fifty organizations and companies joined Center for Food Safety in a letter to the farm bill conferees in support of the pollinator protection language, including the American Beekeeping Federation, American Bird Conservancy, American Honey Producers Association, National Farmers Union, National Wildlife Federation, Xerces Society, and many more.

In addition, a 2012 report from the National Wildlife Foundation estimated harnessing even a realistic fraction of America’s offshore wind potential could power 14 million homes, create over 300,000 new green jobs, and $US200 billion in new economic activity.

This year also saw more proof that migratory species in particular are threatened by climate change: a report from the National Wildlife Federation outlined the dangers migratory birds face from earlier and “false” springs, and another study found that one of the world’s great migrations — the long trek of millions of Christmas Island Crabs, requires meticulous timing that could be thrown off by changing weather patterns in the future.

“Many biomass facilities claim they’re sourcing from all or mostly waste, but, particularly for those with large demands, our economic modeling results gave us some skepticism about some of these facilities’ ability to economically source the facility with waste only over the long term — you’d have to travel too far out from the facility, and transportation costs would be too high, considering the low economic value of harvest residual material.”

“We think she is one of the great conservation leaders,” said Adam Kolton, executive director of the National Wildlife Federation’s advocacy center in Washington. “But the language (of her bill) is nothing in keeping with her extraordinary environmental record.”

A new National Wildlife Federation report explores the positive benefits of technology and outdoor exploration. Friending Fresh Air: Connecting Kids to Naturein the Digital Age details how kids’ media habits can both positively and negatively impact health, learning and social development.